50/50 Haleru Surcharge on Austria Newspaper Stamp

Czechoslovakia · 1919 · 50h on 2h

This is a provisional newspaper stamp featuring a black typographic surcharge 'POŠTA ČESKOSLOVENSKÁ 1919' and a new value of '50' haleru on a 2-heller Austrian newspaper stamp. The underlying Austrian stamp depicts the head of Mercury, the Roman messenger god. The surcharge was applied diagonally to invalidate the original Austrian markings and establish the new Czechoslovak authority.

Issued in the turbulent period following the end of World War I and the establishment of the First Czechoslovak Republic, this surcharge represents the new nation's effort to create its own postal system by overprinting existing Austro-Hungarian stamps.